Fruit Leather (no sugar added!)

Cherry apple fruit leather looks ugly, I’ll give you that much. (My lackluster photography skills also play a large role in that picture. I think it’s the direct lighting. Thoughts?) Fruit leather is really healthy, though, and it’s got the husband seal of approval.

I don’t have a “real” recipe to pass on today – more of an idea. It’s infinitely adaptable – we just happened to have cherries so I thought I’d try that flavor. Next time I’ll try peach, raspberry, or strawberry. Go nuts, and let me know how it goes!

Fruit Leather

Ingredients:

Applesauce (natural – check the ingredients list to make sure there isn’t any added sugar)

Fresh fruit (I used cherries this time)

Directions:

Take stems, pits, etc. out of fresh fruit. Heat in a saucepan until soft.

Blend fresh fruit and applesauce in a food processor. (I used an equal amount of fruit and applesauce, but you could certainly try experimenting!)

Prepare a baking sheet with a thin layer of nonstick cooking spray. Spread fruit mixture evenly over the pan. You can put it on a bit thicker than you’d think. I put a moderate amount and parts of it were so thin that I could see through them.

Put in a warm oven (140 degrees) for about 8 hours, or until fruit is no longer tacky and soft. Alternately, you could use a food dehydrator if you have solid trays with sides.